More than 200 Australian Catholic university students and alumni told the Synod of Bishops that young Catholics cannot be well formed in their faith when prelates create confusion by using “ambiguous language” on key issues “despite Christ’s clear teaching, the Church fathers and the clear dogma of the Church.”

Speaking off-the-cuff, the pope said there is a “terrible” tendency to see and define people by their “adjectives,” their faults and virtues, rather than by their substantive nature, their “noun” as a child of God.

Fake news that distorts public discourse and manipulates the public will not be countered effectively by a renewed interest in journalistic ethics or more laws aimed at improving disclosure of the sources of online content. It is a cultural problem.

Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington lists “falsehoods, lies, distortions, half-truths” among the sort of things Catholics should not be saying or spreading. He instead challenges Catholics to “speak the truth with love.”